Slovenia
Slovenia arrive for their second-ever appearance at the Euros after recording their best performance during qualification, registering seven wins and a draw in ten games.
After not making the continental championships over the past five editions, Slovenia hit the luck of the draw to find themselves in a group that matches their weight alongside Serbia, Denmark, and of course England.
Slovenians are still looking for their first win at the European Championship but they will feel their present squad has enough in the tank to pull it off this time.
RB Leipzig’s star Benjamin Šeško is one of the most sought-after young strikers around and together with the experience of captain Jan Oblak and veteran midfielder Josip Iličić, the Slavs could manage a few surprising results in Germany.
Serbia
Serbia are back at the European Championship for the first time in over 20 years and the first time since they separated from the Serbia and Montenegro union.
Head coach Dragan Stojković has a 26-man squad of the country’s finest players at home and abroad, including Juventus’ Dušan Vlahović, Al Hilal’s duo of Aleksandar Mitrović and Sergej Milinković-Savić, and talismanic captain Dušan Tadić.
They arrive in Germany in poor form, though, having won only four of their last 11 games in all competitions.
Still, the Eagles will believe they can match Denmark and outclass Slovenia, while putting up a good fight against England.
If results go their way, they could be genuine candidates for the knockout phases.
Denmark
Denmark produced one of the most remarkable stories of the European Championships when they lifted the title in 1992, despite only making it to the tournament at the last minute due to the disqualification of Yugoslavia.
The Danes have not reached such lofty heights since then, with their semifinal appearance at Euro 2020 their best outing in 28 years.
Midfield maestro Christian Eriksen returns after his cardiac arrest scare at the last edition and manager Kasper Hjulmand will hope the Manchester United man can help unlock young striker Rasmus Højlund.
Denmark will be solid in defence thanks to Milan’s Simon Kjær and Barcelona’s Andreas Christensen, hard as a nail in midfield and dangerous in attack.
The Red and Whites will take some stopping and we may just witness another thrilling Danish Euro tale unfold in Germany.
England
Perennial underachievers England will hope this is the year they finally win their first-ever European Championship.
Despite boasting several generations of Premier League superstars, the Three Lions’ best outings at the continental showpiece were two third-place finishes before Gareth Southgate guided them to the final in 2020.
England lost to Italy on penalties but Southgate is back again with one of the best attacking lineups in the world: Harry Kane, Phil Foden, and Bukayo Saka.
They carry the hopes of an entire nation desperate to see the team win another major international title since their World Cup triumph in 1966.
Southgate’s boys should have little trouble navigating a relatively easy group. Their biggest hurdles will likely surface when the going gets tough in the knockout rounds.
Likely Group C winners: Denmark and England
Likely third-place qualifier: Serbia